Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Auburn Tigers Baseball outfielder Cade Belyeu stepped out onto the baseball diamond for the team's season opener on Friday, Feb. 14, and it was a feat of resilience and strength. Just hours earlier, Belyeu lost his mom Staci after a battle with cancer. Playing that night was a decision that Belyeu, a sophomore on the team, made alongside his head coach Butch Thompson, father Roger, and the support of his entire baseball team.

"About 10:30 I was wrestling, sitting here trying to figure out,” Thompson told local1819 News. "'He wants to play. Is he really going to play?' So I called his dad and said, 'I'm the coach and you're the father. What do you want? I yield to you.' And he said Staci wanted him to play."


Before he took his position, Belyeu ran onto the field and got down on bended knee to say a prayer before the team lined up for the National Anthem. The announcer shared with the crowd that Staci passed away that morning from cancer, with Belyeu wiping away tears as he put his hat back on to start the game.

During the bottom of the sixth inning, he stepped up to the plate and took a powerful swing. "Fly ball, right center. It's deep...it's gone! He hit it out of here!" a sportscaster emphatically yells in a video shared on Instagram. Another sportscaster adds, "Some things just transcend the human experience and how sports can bring everybody together."

The clip ends with Coach Thompson talking to the team following the game, giving a touching speech on how incredible Belyeu was. Thompson also gifts Belyeu his home run ball, which was caught by a young fan in the stands but later returned for him to have. His teammates give him a roaring applause, and they embrace as Belyeu wells with tears.

"I think it was the most inspiring thing we've ever seen. The crowd, our crowd is just amazing. They absolutely sensed what was going on with him and the ovation for him," Thompson said. "The home run, that's just how amazing things happen through this game. We want to honor her and I know Cade played for his mom today. That was the number one thing that happened tonight. Some things are bigger than ball. This was one of those moments."

"Amazing things happen through this game," Thompson added. In another interview with Auburn University, Thompson shared Belyeu's willingness to play and home run was, "One of the most inspiring things I have seen in 32 years."

The emotional home run and Belyeu's resilience received an overwhelming response in the video's comments.

"He was right where Mom would have wanted him. Playing the game that he loves. The homerun was her telling him. Lifting this family up in prayer and peace to their aching souls," one wrote.

"Okay, that go[t] me. God Bless him and his family! 🙌❤️😢" another added. Another touched fan wrote, "I cried & cried!!! Tears of thankfulness for a Momma who raised such a fine & strong son!!!"

More For You

The Challenger disaster unfolded live on TV. Their last words remain unforgettable.

Space exploration has always carried great risks, but few tragedies have been as devastating as the Challenger disaster. On January 28, 1986, the STS-51L mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying seven crew members who had trained for months for their journey into space.

Just 73 seconds after liftoff, the Challenger shuttle disintegrated, taking the lives of everyone on board. The last recorded words from the crew—spoken in the seconds before the explosion—have since become a chilling part of spaceflight history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kathleen Thorson, her husband, and four children in the hospital.

Having ushered four lives into the world, Kathleen then made a choice that would save 12 more.

GoFundMe

After welcoming her newborn, this mom's final act of love saved 12 lives

Kathleen Thorson had a beautiful life—a loving husband, Jesse, and four cherished children, including their newborn son, Teddy. But just days after welcoming her baby, Kathleen suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage. Despite every medical effort, she would not recover. Instead of focusing on her own tragedy, Kathleen chose to leave behind a powerful legacy: donating 12 of her organs to those in desperate need.

Kathleen’s extraordinary act of generosity was nearly unheard of. Organ donations of this magnitude are incredibly rare, making her final gift even more remarkable. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to support Jesse and their children—Danny, Grace, James, and Teddy—helping them navigate life without her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Friends host beautiful weekly themed parties for woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer
woman in blue denim jacket with red rose on ear
Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

Friends host beautiful weekly themed parties for woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer

The news of a terminal illness can be taken so many ways. Heartbreaking and devastating, it can easily sink the spirits of everyone who cares about the person. But for party planner Maggie Langston ( @langston_living), she was determined to not let her best friend Amanda's terminal brain tumor steal the joy from their remaining time together.

"Amanda was my dear friend, my fellow hostess, and the life of every party!💃When she was diagnosed with brain cancer, we didn’t wait for the ‘right time’ to celebrate—we made every moment count," she wrote in the caption.

Keep ReadingShow less
A bartender.

Representative Image: Sometimes the person behind the bar is has more to offer than just drinks.

Bartender’s clever note helps two women escape harassment at a Florida bar

A bartender in Florida is earning widespread praise after his quick thinking helped protect two women from an aggressive man at his bar. Trinity Allie shared the experience on Twitter, highlighting how bartender Max Gutierrez subtly intervened when he noticed a stranger persistently harassing her and her friend.

Posting a photo of Gutierrez holding a small clipboard, Allie wrote:

Keep ReadingShow less
Amazon driver sees major safety risk at new home and warns owner instantly
Representative photo by Canva

Amazon driver sees major safety risk at new home and warns owner instantly

A simple yet crucial home safety tip from an Amazon delivery driver is going viral after she left an unexpected message for a new homeowner. Jessica Huseman (@_jesshopehuse) shared the door cam footage on TikTok, showing the moment her delivery driver, Kelsey, not only dropped off a package but also pointed out a potential safety risk.

@_jesshuseman We just moved in and this happened today…she’s not wrong though. Guess I need to get some house numbers. #amazondelivery ♬ original sound - _jesshuseman

Walking up to the home with an upbeat energy, Kelsey greeted Jessica with a cheerful song: “Hello Jennifer, I hope your Monday’s going well.” But her mood quickly shifted to serious when she noticed something important—there were no visible house numbers.

Keep ReadingShow less